Preparing for winter II

tugrin

SPIDERS _EEK the one thing I can stand about living in the country, Im TERRIFIED of them and have bought some spray in the vain hope that I might not be so terror stricken this years but I know Im being stupid.
Update on Trevor Baylis ECo lamp - its no great shakes (boo hoo) Initially 3 full minutes winding produced 5 mins of light! Consequently took it in car to Mr Ms 20 mins there 20 mins back - 40 minutes of gradually reducing light - what a disappointment I was SOOO convinced I had found an alternative to electric light or batteries I'm in a mind to send it back saying its not as advertised and trying some solar powered fairy lights instead.
Cant track down ankle biting draught in sitting room - so am going to try an incense stick in the vicinity to watch wich way the smoke is blowing.
Fleec curtain over door to backdoo and bathroom extension is already making a BIG difference. Would like to put a cutain over the DG in the back door but its PVU(C?) and dont know how to fix a rail - maybe the no-nails strips would do for this????

bramble1

ooo a first aid box will be on septembers agenda! we need

Plasters
Savlon
painkillers
lemsip
strepsills
cold and flu things

OH is prone to get tonsilitus around winter time so will need to plan an attack before it arrives! I am also having the flu jab this year.

Confuzzled

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

nom nom nom nom no m ty

i feel a treat for dinner

Confuzzled try this site for some treats i'm lucky enough to be able to pop in and they have a great selection, just have to avoid the twinkies :drool: :happyhear

ooh cheers for that! and they just so happened to have that other box mix for muffins and biscuits that i couldn't remember the name of, it's jiffy mixes though i wouldn't recommend buying the corn muffin mix if you can get yourself to an ethnic shop and buy a big bag of polenta for a few quid i can give my tried and tested amish cornbread recipe, makes much nicer muffins than jiffy mix and it's far cheaper...

i'll have a deeper look into the website, maybe treat myself mmmmm

Rainy-Days

The kitchen and bathroom blinds have now been cleaned, the windows have been cleaned inside and out - we have quite a few windows as well as the conservatory!

The curtains in the spare bedrooms have been thoroughly vacuumed and then I have vac'ed again throughout. Those are the last jobs on my August list which have now been completed :j

The leaves on the trees in the backgarden are changing, there is a distinct autumnal nip in the air which I noticed when I pegging out the washing this morning. If the weather does turn quickly then we are prepared for it. I wouldn't be surprised if we are in for a cold October going by the current weather!

Kathy535

I'm being really thick here so apologies in advance . But with the lining curtains with Fleece, is it as simple as tacking fleece blankets to the back of the curtains and rehanging? And does it make a huge difference?

Thank you.

annie123

Confuzzled wrote: »

you can get yourself to an ethnic shop and buy a big bag of polenta for a few quid i can give my tried and tested amish cornbread recipe, makes much nicer muffins than jiffy mix and it's far cheaper...

have polenta, recipe please:D

pinkmami

Kathy535 wrote: »

I'm being really thick here so apologies in advance . But with the lining curtains with Fleece, is it as simple as tacking fleece blankets to the back of the curtains and rehanging? And does it make a huge difference?

Thank you.

I think so Kathy. I'm gonna have a try at DS's ones once they all go back to school (FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

I also know from here that you can use safety pins to hang them xx

ifonlyitwaseasier

annie123 wrote: »

have polenta, recipe please:D

+1


and yes it's jiffy mix i have in the cupboard

Confuzzled

annie123 wrote: »

have polenta, recipe please:D

happy to oblige!

this makes a slightly sweet cornbread/corn muffin. don't think it doesn't go well with savoury food because it's slightly sweet, quite the opposite! these are particularly lovely with chilli or soups and stews with cumin in them mmmm they also make lovely breakfast muffins/slices when lightly warmed (sprinkle with a bit of water if warming in the microwave) then buttered whilst warm mmm

AMISH CORNBREAD RECIPE

1 cup cornmeal (or polenta, fine or coarse grind)
1 cup flour (i use self rising for a lighter texture)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
butter or bacon drippings to grease pan

mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, mix all wet in another then combine well, batter should be thick and come off in large glops. if the mixture seems too stiff (ie you have to shove it off the spoon with another spoon) add more milk in small amounts and stir until the proper consistency is achieved, do not add too much liquid this ruins the cornbread

for muffins:
fill each greased muffin tin (i use silicone muffin liners, no need to grease) no more than 2/3rds full, these rise up and will spill over the top if you fill more than that. bake at 200C/400F for approximately 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

for a loaf or round:
i prefer to use a cast iron skillet, i grease with butter then pour the mixture in to about half full. cook at 200C/400F for 20-35 minutes dependent on size of the pan and relative thickness of batter, again if a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean it's done. if at all possible place another skillet or oven proof container with water on the shelf below the cornbread, this makes for a moister cornbread (not necessary for muffins).


i've taken to making these most often in the silcone muffin liners now as it's less messy and cooks faster but you can also cook them in the cast iron skillet (preferred) or glass bakeware, i would never recommend more than 3/4 inch thickness of uncooked batter though or you might have issues cooking it all the way through before burning the top. tastes best served warm with butter mmm but also great with soups and stews either tossed in, dunked in or buttered and eaten on the side. my daughter eats these for breakfast plain!

Confuzzled

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

+1


and yes it's jiffy mix i have in the cupboard

try my recipe, above, see if you like that as much or better, if not hey stick with the jiffy mix!

doh! you were making biscuits not corn muffins lol totally disregard that, i need my coffee not fully awake yet!